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Member
Country: USA
Town: Ventura, CA
Make: Novurania
Length: 6m +
Engine: Gas, jet drive
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 8
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Novurania MED 660 For Sale
Up for sale is a very nice and unusual 22 Novurania MED 660 rigid inflatable boat (RIB). This one was the only one of its kind ordered in 1999 and is fitted with a 5.0 liter Volvo gasoline engine and jet drive propulsion system.
The first owner purchased it as a tender for his megayacht and then sold it to the owner of a marina in Minnesota, who used to get back and forth to his lake island home. It has always been stored indoors or covered and is fantastic condition with only 205 total hours. All maintenance is up-to-date and it has been extensively modified for diving purposes. It is ready to go for the upcoming summer diving season and well beyond.
I regularly take three divers out and the boat is very comfortable with lots of room to move around and get geared up and down. I have had 5 divers on the boat and, while slightly crowded, the boat was definitely up to the task. Averaging over 2 mpg (on regular 87 octane gasoline), it really is the perfect island and coastal boat. My typical trip is an all day outing to Santa Cruz and Anacapa, but I have made many night dive trips for lobster also.
This Novurania has handled every kind of condition and really has a great ride at all speeds even in rough seas. The steering is responsive, the hull tracks very well, and the boat cuts through the waves smoothly. She cruises comfortably at 25-30mph and will top out somewhere above 45mph in flat seas. Definitely a very fun boat to run.
You have to experience the maneuverability of a jet drive to believe it, but this boat will basically turn on its own axis at slow speed and can be turned at full speed with no problems. The drive system does have a transmission that allows the impeller to run in forward, reverse, and neutral. There is also a bucket on the jet drive that allows for more control in reverse.
It is the perfect drift diving boat too since there is no propeller to injure divers as you pick them up. There is a grab handle and retractable swim ladder on the full-width swim step making ingress incredibly easy. With the large-diameter hypalon tubes, she is incredibly stable while anchored or drifting. I even removed the large rear snap-on cushion and use the engine cover as a platform to gear up and down. (I had this fiberglass reinforced to support more weight than I would ever dream of putting on it). Of course, back rolls are easy from atop the tubes. The stern racks securely hold 3 tanks each (with BCs and regs attached if you want) and there is room for more in the forward hold beneath the deck.
The GPS w/ integrated side-scan sonar makes finding dive sites easy and fun. The radar and spotlights add some great safety factors at night and the stereo system is nice to have on long trips. This boat is very easy to trailer (I regularly launch and recover it myself) and simple to clean after use (I had a special engine washout added to the transom to make flushing as easy as possible).
Boat Specifications:
LOA: 22
Beam: 8'10"
Tube diameter 111
Draft: 1'6"
Bridge Clearance: 9' (including arch)
Engine: Volvo 5.0Gi 250HP V-8 with thru-hull exhaust
Drive: Vosper Vospower 90A Jet Drive w/ transmission
Fuel capacity 50 gallons
Water capacity 8 gallons
Electronics:
Dual batteries with switch
12 volt accessory socket
Ritchie lighted S-1000W compass
Full instrumentation
2 Guest 22200 Halogen spotlights with remote controls on the dash
Humminbird 797c2 GPS w/ fish finder, side-scan sonar, and barometric pressure monitor
Furuno 1623 LCD Radar System
Icom IC-M402 w/ MB-69 flush mount kit, stainless ratcheting mount, and high quality VHF antenna
Clarion M475 - Marine AM/FM/CD/MP3/WMA/XM stereo in closable housing
4 speakers including 2 new 6x9 flush mount speakers on the console sides
Full navigation and instrumentation lights
Courtesy deck lighting
Engine compartment lighting
folding anchor light
Bennett hydraulic trim tabs with dash indicators and switches
Deck:
Fiberglass hand laid two part sandwich construction with pre-form foam-fiberglass stringers providing a wide track foot print, lighter weights, and non-deteriorating construction
Hypalon tubes with 5 separate air chambers
Heavy duty double gray rub strakes running all around
Non-skid fiberglass flooring
Molded storage compartments below the floor as well as in the integrated seating
U-shaped forward seating arrangement cushioned with underseat storage and anchor locker
Molded-in front console seat cushioned with underseat cooler
Rear seating is a full-width low profile bench behind the helm with remote control power up & down backrest
Large aft sunning pad over engine hatch
Grab straps running the full length of the cockpit area
Steel bow rail and a steel grab rail at the swim platform
Molded-in fiberglass console, with A-frame rail and tinted windshield
Integrated swim platform with retractable swim ladder
Custom radar arch fabricated and mounted by Novurania factory
Lifting eyes (4)
Tilting steering wheel
Integrated ski tow
Transom fresh water shower
Footpump with valve adapter
Custom integrated scuba tank racks hold 6 tanks of various sizes
Bruce anchor with 350 of 1/2 line and 30 of 5/16 chain
Safety & Security:
Automatic bilge pump with manual switches
Fuel water separator
Underdeck aluminum fuel/water tanks
Stereo faceplate, radar, and GPS are all removable
Locking gas cap filler insert
Tank racks feature straps and cable tiedowns that can be locked
No expense has been spared in maintaining and upgrading this boat. I have a folder full of receipts and manuals (I have no desire to add up what I have spent, but the new owner will get all of the paperwork that I have). Some of the work included installing new fuel injectors and seals, a new starter, a specially installed motor flushing system, and new distributor cap and rotor. I replaced the molding around the hatch covers and had a new pump installed for the fresh water shower. All the wiring has been gone through and upgraded and the engine exhaust blower was upgraded.
The most recent major service totaled $3100. This entailed a complete motor & transmission service - oil/filter, all fluids, fuel filters, v-belt, impeller, riser gaskets, and motor mounts. They also removed and replaced the steering and shift cables (this was a major project). The boat is running perfectly and needs nothing.
The Hypalon tubes are in perfect condition with no issues and no mold spots anywhere. There is a small patch on the aft section of the port tube, but it was applied by a Novurania technician shortly after the boat was commissioned new. I always keep the boat covered and routinely use special inflatable cleaner and 303 Aerospace protectant. The boat cover was custom fitted and has been modified to fit around the scuba tank racks.
The included trailer is an EZ Loader custom tandem axle with surge disc brakes. This trailer is loaded with every conceivable feature - folding tongue, side running lights that illuminate the CHARGER nameplates from behind, and even backup lights. I replaced the jack with a new heavy duty square tube upgrade. It also has new wheel bearings, new brakes, bearing buddies, 4 new radial tires, a new winch strap, and two brand new retractable transom tie downs. The entire wiring system was gone through on the trailer and works perfectly.
I have the complete Novurania documentation package including the original owners manual, build sheets, quality control checklist, and shipping receipts (boat was custom ordered on 6/15/99 and delivered a few months later). Also includes a Volvo repair manual, VOS jet drive manual and schematics, and the black and white depth/GPS/chart plotter originally fitted to the boat.
This has been the perfect fun dive boat for me that has run flawlessly and provided many great days out on the ocean. My outings with the guys are limited now, though, and family needs call for something with more creature comforts and overnight capacity. Asking $34,000 for this well-cared-for boat. Thanks for looking.
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